Telstra boosts mobile coverage in Berringama

Telstra has announced a new mobile site has been switched on as part of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program, improving coverage to Berringama.

Regional General Manager Loretta Willaton said the new site would improve upon Telstra’s existing coverage throughout the Murray Valley and north east.

“Switching on this new mobile site removes a notorious black spot at Berringama, bringing dedicated Telstra mobile coverage to this area for the first time,” Ms Willaton said.

“The new mobile site will boost Telstra mobile coverage in the Berringama township and along the Murray Valley Highway between Shelly and Corryong.”

The new tower will provide another way for residents and visitors to stay up to date with important alerts and in the event of an emergency.

“We know just how important communications are in the event of an emergency – and last summer’s bushfires showed us just how critical it is in the event of an emergency.”

“The Murray Valley and areas around the north east are challenging areas to deliver mobile coverage owing to their terrain and topography however we’re committed to delivering vital infrastructure and boosting connectivity through this area.”

The local community has been vital in helping provide feedback on the location and site as part of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program. The site has been co-funded by Telstra, the Victorian Government and the Federal Government.

“I’m pleased we’ve been able to help the community in their efforts to have their application under the program be a success. We’ve worked really closely with locals and the council to get their feedback, which has helped us in the planning and roll out of this really important site.”

Under the Mobile Black Spot Program Telstra, in partnership with Local, State and Federal Governments has delivered:

• More than 650 mobile base stations stretching from Monkey Mia in Western Australia to Weipa in the Queensland Cape York Peninsula and delivered coverage to remote central Australian indigenous communities encompassing the APY Lands;
• A further 207 wholly Telstra funded small cells to deliver coverage into areas where It is otherwise not economically feasible to do so;
• Up to 146 million new handset and device registrations to the Telstra Mobile Network in the past two years where new coverage has been delivered under the Mobile Black Spot Program;
• Another 188,000 square kilometres of new coverage to Australian communities (more than twice the size of Tasmania), delivering coverage to 63,000 new premises;
• More than 37,000 emergency calls made through new Telstra sites delivered under the program.

Telstra has a long and proud history of investing in regional Australia. After this latest round five of the Mobile Black Spot Program is completed, Telstra will have invested more than $290 million and built over 880 new sites to improve coverage into regional areas around the country. This is more than two thirds of the total 1229 sites co-funded under the program since 2015.

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Telstra media contact: 

Matt Smithson - State Media Manager (VIC/TAS)
E: media@team.telstra.com
Media ref number: 080/2020